Nielsen Consumer Neuroscience (“Nielsen,” “we,” or “us”) is committed to protecting your privacy and handling your data in an open and transparent manner. This Privacy Statement explains how we use, share, and protect the data we gather about you in connection with our recruitment efforts and your participation in any of our consumer neuroscience studies (hereinafter referred to as “Study” or “Studies”). This Privacy Statement also describes your choices and legal rights in relation to such data.

Please note that this Privacy Statement applies only to data collected and processed by us in connection with your potential and actual participation in one or more of our Studies as well as your interaction with any websites where this Privacy Statement is posted or linked (collectively, the “Website”). This Privacy Statement does not apply to your participation in any other studies, surveys, or panels or your interaction with or use of any other websites, applications, or online services administered or provided by entities within the Nielsen group of companies. Other Nielsen studies, surveys, panels, websites, applications, and online services are governed by their own privacy statements, and we encourage you to review those privacy statements before disclosing any personal data.

To learn more about Nielsen’s group of companies, one or more of which will process your personal data in connection with your participation in the Study, please click here.

If you have any questions about this Privacy Statement or your data, please refer to the “Contacting Us” section below for our contact information.

1. COLLECTION OF YOUR DATA

We will collect or otherwise obtain data relating to you in a variety of ways. Such data may include personal data (i.e., data that alone or in combination with other data identifies you as an individual, such as your name, email address, phone number, and other data that can be reasonably linked to you as an individual). Additional details about the data that we may collect about you in connection with your potential or actual participation in one of our Studies and the sources of such data can be found below.

a. Data collected from you

In connection with our recruitment efforts, we will collect data about you through your voluntary completion of our online screener questionnaire. The data requested may include your name, telephone number, email address, place of residence, date of birth, demographic data (e.g., your age range, gender, ethnicity, education level, occupation/employment status), data about your household (e.g., your household’s annual income range), and other data that will help us assess your eligibility for participation in our Studies (e.g., your sense of vision/hearing, whether you have been diagnosed with or treated for certain ailments or disorders, whether you use certain drugs, etc.).

If you are selected and agree to participate in a Study, we will request your completion of an online pre-study questionnaire in order to verify some of the data you previously provided (e.g., your name, telephone number, email address, date of birth, and gender) and collect additional, relevant data about your views, preferences, and/or purchasing habits.

When you visit one of the Neuro Labs for a Study, we will perform an electroencephalogram (EEG) and may request your completion of an additional questionnaire or survey about the marketing materials presented to you. Additionally, as part of certain Studies, we will collect eye-tracking data, video recordings of your facial expressions, and/or other data. We will provide you with full details about the data that will be collected prior to the commencement of any of our Studies.

Finally, in order to compensate you for your participation in a Study, we will request certain financial information from you, including your bank name, bank account number, and sort code as well as a photo of your bank card or a letter from your bank in order to verify your bank account information.

b. Data collected in connection with your use of the Website

In certain cases, we (or third parties) may collect data about your device using cookies and other similar technologies. This data may include your device’s internet protocol (IP) address, unique device identifiers, device model, operating system and version, browser type and language, and other transactional data (e.g., pages visited and access dates and times). Additional information about our use of cookies and similar technologies can be found in the “Cookies and Similar Technologies” section below.

2. USE OF YOUR DATA

We use your data for the purpose(s) for which it was collected or provided to us (as stated above in the “Collection of Your Data” section or at the point of collection) or as otherwise obvious from the context of collection. For example, the data that we request during the recruitment phase is used to determine your eligibility for participation in one or more of our Studies.

Once you have been selected for participation in a Study, your data is used to help us create research insights for our clients that help them understand, among other things, how consumers may react to their products and how to communicate effectively with consumers.

When we prepare reports and share insights with our clients, we use tools and methods that are designed to ensure that there is no reasonable possibility of identifying any of the participants in our Studies. For example, if you complete a survey or questionnaire while at one of our Neuro Labs, we will combine your responses with the responses of other participants in order to produce reports with aggregated data from which you cannot be identified.

In addition to using your data for our research purposes as described above, we may use your data to:

carry out and manage our Studies;

operate and manage the Website;

operate and manage our IT and security systems, including to monitor such systems and identify and respond to information security events;

communicate with you via any means (including via email, telephone, text message, or postal mail) about your eligibility for or participation in one or more of our Studies, respond to your inquiries and requests, or update/validate the data that we hold about you;

provide you with information about your participation in a Study and compensation for your participation in the Study;

contact you with information that may be of interest to you, such as offers to participate in other Studies or research administered by us (subject always to obtaining your prior opt-in consent to the extent required under applicable law);

conduct research for quality assurance and product, service, and business development purposes;

facilitate the day-to-day operations and financial management of the Nielsen group of companies and any corporate transactions (e.g., a reorganization, merger, sale, joint venture, assignment, transfer, etc.);

prevent, investigate, action regarding or provide notice of fraud, unlawful or criminal activity, other misconduct, security or technical issues, or unauthorized access to or use of personal data, the Website, or our data systems;

protect the rights, property, operations, health, or safety of you, one or more entities within the Nielsen group of companies, or others;

enforce our agreements, comply with applicable laws and regulations, and establish, exercise, and/or defend the legal rights of one or more entities within the Nielsen group of companies; and

respond to subpoenas, court orders, or other legal process/requests and communications from law enforcement authorities or other government officials.

3. LEGAL BASIS FOR PROCESSING YOUR PERSONAL DATA

Applicable law in your country of residence may require us to set out in this Privacy Statement the legal basis upon which we rely in order to process your personal data.

If you are based in the European Union (“EU”)/European Economic Area (“EEA”), we will process your personal data for the purposes outlined in this Privacy Statement based on one or more of the legal bases listed below.

Legitimate interests: We may rely on our legitimate interests, provided that such interests shall not be overridden by your interests, fundamental rights, or freedoms. In particular, among other things, we may process your personal data in reliance on a legitimate interest in: (i) effectively and lawfully carrying out of our Studies as well as the operation of our business and day-to-day affairs; (ii) communicating relevant information to you; (iii) conducting research and producing analyses; (iv) effectively delivering, developing, and improving our products and services; (v) managing, maintaining, and operating the IT and security systems of one or more entities within the Nielsen group of companies; (vi) adequately protecting, defending, and safeguarding the networks of one or more entities within the Nielsen group of companies; (vii) evaluating business and other corporate transactions; (viii) managing and enhancing protection against fraud, spam, harassment, intellectual property infringement, and risks to which we are exposed (e.g., crime and security risks); (ix) complying with laws and regulations to which one or more entities within the Nielsen group of companies is subject, including, where applicable, laws and regulations of countries other than your country or residence; and (ix) meeting our obligations and enforcing our legal rights.

Consent: We may process your personal data based on your prior consent. We will only rely on this legal basis in relation to processing that is entirely voluntary (i.e., not necessary or obligatory).

Compliance with legal obligations: We may process your personal data if necessary for us to comply with a legal obligation arising under applicable law to which we are subject.

To the extent that we process any sensitive personal data relating to you, we will do so because either:

you have given us your explicit consent to carry out such processing;

the processing is necessary for the establishment, exercise, or defense of legal claims; or

you have made the data manifestly public.

If you have questions or concerns about the legal basis upon which we process your personal data, please refer to the “Contacting Us” section below for our contact information.

4. COOKIES AND SIMILAR TECHNOLOGIES

We may use cookies (i.e., small data files placed on your device) and similar technologies (e.g., web beacons, pixels, and ad tags) to enable certain features and functionality and collect additional data that helps us improve the Website and better deliver our services to you. In particular, we may use cookies (session and persistent cookies) to identify your browser or device, display information more effectively, provide you with tailored content, and gather statistical data about how you use the Website. We may also use such technologies for security purposes and to detect and defend against fraud and other risks in order to protect the Website’s visitors. If you do not wish to have data collected from your device by cookies and similar technologies, most browsers allow you to control and decline the use of cookies through the browser settings. Please note, however, that if you decline the use of cookies or limit the ability of the Website to set cookies, some of its features may not work properly. To learn more about cookies, including how to see what cookies have been set on your device and how to manage and delete them, please visit http://www.allaboutcookies.org/.

5. DISCLOSURES AND TRANSFERS OF YOUR DATA

In connection with one or more of the purposes outlined above, we may disclose your data to:

entities within the Nielsen group of companies;

our clients and other third parties, such as market research companies (in accordance with market research industry ethical guidelines);

third parties if necessary to complete any transaction you have requested or authorized or to provide you with a requested product or service;

third-party service providers, including providers of the following services (among others): website or application hosting, management, or support; data analysis or processing; data backup; data security and storage; recruitment; product development; and other services (subject to binding contractual obligations of confidentiality and security);

relevant third parties as part of a corporate transaction, such as a reorganization, merger, sale, joint venture, assignment, transfer, or other disposition of all or any portion of our business, assets, or stock (including in connection with any bankruptcy or similar proceedings);

competent governmental and public authorities, in each case to comply with legal or regulatory obligations or requests or for the purposes of reporting any actual or suspected breach of applicable law; and

other third parties as we believe to be necessary or appropriate for legal purposes.

All of the disclosures described above may result in the transfer of your personal data to countries or regions with data protection laws that differ from those in your country of residence and do not provide an “adequate level” of data protection. By completing our screener and pre-study questionnaires, participating in a Study, and/or interacting with the Website, you are acknowledging that your personal data may be transferred to countries outside of your country of residence. In cases where your personal data is transferred outside of your country of residence, we will ensure that there are adequate safeguards in place to protect your personal data.

Additional information for EU/EEA residents

If you are based in the EU/EEA and your personal data will be transferred to a country that has not been recognized by the European Commission as providing an adequate level of data protection, the safeguards put in place might include a data transfer agreement with the data recipient based on standard contractual clauses approved by the European Commission for transfers of personal data to countries not providing an adequate level of data protection. Alternatively, in certain circumstances, your personal data may be transferred on the basis of a specific derogation or exemption recognized under applicable data protection law. For further details relating to the transfers described above and the adequate safeguards used with respect to such transfers, please contact us at privacy.department@nielsen.com.

6. YOUR CHOICES AND LEGAL RIGHTS

You have choices about how we handle the personal data that we collect or otherwise obtain about you, and we are committed to providing you with reasonable access to your personal data and the ability to review and limit the use of such data in accordance with applicable law.

Depending on your country of residence, under applicable law, you may have the right to:

request confirmation as to whether or not we are processing your personal data;

request access to or copies of your personal data;

request that we update your personal data or correct such data if it is inaccurate or incomplete;

propose restrictions on the ways in which we use your personal data (e.g., if we have no legal right to keep using it) or limit our use of your personal data (e.g., if your personal data is inaccurate or unlawfully held);

object to our processing of your personal data;

withdraw the consent that you have given us to process your personal data (where we process your personal data on the basis of your consent);

request that your personal data be transferred to another organization in a structured, commonly used, and machine-readable format (to the extent applicable);

request that we delete the personal data that we hold about you; and

lodge a complaint with the data protection or privacy authority in your country of residence regarding our processing of your personal data.

If you are interested in exercising one or more of the rights described above, please contact us. Because we want to avoid taking action regarding your personal data at the direction of someone other than you, please note that we may request information verifying your identity before we can give effect to these rights.

Additional information for EU/EEA residents

If you have any questions or concerns about our collection or use of your personal data, you can contact our EU Data Protection Officer at privacy.department@nielsen.com.

If you are unsatisfied with the way in which we have handled your personal data or any privacy query or request that you have raised to us, you have a right to complain to the Data Protection Authority (“DPA”) in your country of residence or the country in which the issue that is the subject of your complaint occurred. To find the contact details of the appropriate DPA, please visit: https://edpb.europa.eu/about-edpb/board/members_en.

7. MINORS

We understand the importance of protecting minors’ privacy, and it is our policy to never knowingly collect or maintain personal data about anyone under the age of 18. We only allow individuals at least 18 years of age to participate in our Studies. Additionally, the Website is not designed for or intentionally targeted at minors under the age of 18. If we become aware that we have collected personal data relating to a minor, we will take reasonable steps to delete it.

8. DATA SECURITY

We have in place reasonable organisational, technical, and administrative measures that are designed to protect your data from loss, misuse, and unauthorized access, disclosure, destruction, and other forms of unlawful processing while it is under our control. However, please be aware that the storage and transfer of data cannot always be one-hundred percent secure.

9. DATA RETENTION

We will retain your data in a form that permits identification only for as long as necessary for the fulfillment of the purposes described in this Privacy Statement, unless a longer retention period is required under applicable law or is necessary in order to resolve disputes, protect our legal rights, or otherwise to comply with legal or professional obligations.

10. UPDATES TO THIS PRIVACY STATEMENT

Changes in our business or data processing practices, technology, and/or legal requirements may require us to update or make changes to this Privacy Statement from time to time. When we make changes to this Privacy Statement, we will amend the “Last Revised” date at the top of this page. The most current version of this Privacy Statement will always be available on the Website to ensure that you remain informed about how we are using and protecting your data.

11. CONTACTING US

If you have questions about our Studies or your eligibility for/participation in our Studies, please contact the Nielsen Consumer Neuroscience Lab in your country of residence.

If you have questions about this Privacy Statement or our data handling practices, please email us at: privacy.department@nielsen.com or write us at the appropriate address below.